MWW hired to assist in LA Air Force move

LOS ANGELES: The MWW Group has been hired by a real-estate development team to conduct a campaign to smooth the way for a land deal that would exchange government property for improvements on an aging Air Force base.

LOS ANGELES: The MWW Group has been hired by a real-estate development team to conduct a campaign to smooth the way for a land deal that would exchange government property for improvements on an aging Air Force base.

Kearny Real Estate Company, Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund, and Catellus Development Corporation have signed a contract with MWW, valued at slightly more than $200,000 annually, to promote the awarding of a development contract to the trio from the Los Angeles Air Force Base (LAAFB).

The LAAFB is a '60s-era complex that houses the Air Force's military space programs. In addition to employing more than 1,300 military personnel, the site, located near Los Angeles International Airport, is also a defense-industry hub that has attracted contractors such as Raytheon to the area.

However, the six buildings that make up the facility have been deemed seismically unsafe. Using a new federal law, the Air Force has been in negotiations with the construction trio to build new facilities. In exchange for about 60 acres of land, the developers would build the Air Force a new facility valued at about $115 million.

The trio would then develop the land with commercial or residential projects to recoup costs, and make a profit.

MWW's public affairs work will focus on media relations, community outreach, and direct mail. The area around the project is filled with residential communities that have become very organized over the years due to issues with LAX. "I can't even begin to count how many homeowners meetings we've done," said MWW's David Herbst.

On the public affairs side, MWW is coordinating outreach between the various cities impacted by the deal, and helping to obtain necessary approvals.